1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pressure vessel, and particularly to a pressure vessel with enhanced water pressure for flushing a toilet bowl.
2. Related Art
It often takes over 20 liter water, even 30 liter, to wash an early pressure vessel. Nowadays washing water is reduced vastly to up to 9 liter. In developed countries and countries short of water resource, washing water is limited to 6 liter, even 4.5 liter. With environment protection becomes outstanding, there is a tendency to develop toilet bowl which costs less washing water.
People design a variety of pressure vessels to save washing water for toilet bowls. As shown in FIG. 7, a conventional pressure vessel consists of a tank portion 60 and a draining mechanism 70 assembled on the tank 60. The tank 60 is filled with water for pressing. The draining mechanism 70 empties water in the tank 60 to wash the toilet bowl (not shown).
The draining mechanism 70 comprises a support ring 71 arranged in a top of the tank 60. A locking ring 72 is fastened at a bottom of the support ring 71 by screw, and a film 73 is sandwiched between the locking ring 72 and the hollow ring 71. A water pipe 74 is located below the hollow ring 71. A slide tube 75 is movable along an inner surface of the water pipe 74, and forms a neck 751 around a top thereof and a valve 752 at a middle thereof.
A pole 76 extends through interior of the support ring 71. An actuator 77 is fixed on a top of the pole 76, and a control post 78 is fastened on a bottom of the pole 76 by screw. A spring 80 is arranged between the pole 76 and the actuator 77. A screw spring 79 surrounds peripheral of the pole 76. The control post 78 forms an expanded portion 781 at a middle thereof for abutting against the neck 751 of the slide tube 75.
When the actuator 77 is pressed down, the pole 76 drives the control post 78 to move downwardly, and the expanded portion 781 disengages from the neck 751. Water in the water pipe 74 flows through a void between the expanded portion 781 and the neck 751. Subsequently, the slide tube 75 moves upwardly because of water pressure, and the valve 752 moves to open an outlet 601 of the tank 60. Thus, water in tank 60 is drained to wash the toilet bowl.
In this design, water stored in the water pipe 74 flows through a void between the slide tube 75 and the water pipe 74, making pressure in the water pipe 74 decreases. The slide tube 75 moves upwardly because of water pressure of the tank 60, correspondingly, the valve 752 moves to open the outlet 601. However, at the beginning of operation, water stored in the water pipe 74 is little, so instant water drained from the water pipe 74 is relatively little, which lowering washing effect.
Moreover, a user has to arduously press the actuator 77 downwardly to drive the pole 76 and the control post 78 to move downwardly, and then expanded portion 781 disengages from the neck 751 to allow water to drain from the water pipe 74. The spring 80 has a certain of rigidity to retain the expanded portion 781 and the neck 751 engaging with each other reliably in unused state, and therefore it is hard to press the actuator 77.
Additionally, the draining mechanism 70 has many elements, resulting in high cost and complicated structure. On the other hand, assembly and disassembly is inconvenient, so maintenance is difficult.
A pressure vessel overcoming the above deficiencies is desired.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a pressure vessel which instantly drains a large number of water for washing a toilet bowl, and separates and adjusts water to promote washing effect.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a pressure vessel which is conveniently actuated.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a pressure vessel which has simple structure and is easily assembled/disassembled.
The pressure vessel of the present invention comprises a tank portion for preserving water. An outlet is defined at a bottom of the tank portion. A through hole is defined at a top of the tank portion and corresponding to the outlet for mounting a drain mechanism thereon.
The drain mechanism includes a hollow pipe with a top fixed on the through hole of the tank portion. A separating plate extends horizontally from an inner side and near a top of the hollow pipe. An actuator is assembled on a top of the separating plate for manual operation and has a first resilient element mounted therein. At least a pivot element pivotably connects with the actuator and is mounted between the separating plate and the actuator. Each pivot element forms an anchor at a lower end thereof.
A pole extends longitudinally through an interior of the hollow pipe. The pole forms a flange at a top thereof, and defines at least a groove near the flange for latching the anchors. A drain tube is mounted on a bottom of the pole by screw. A top projection is formed near a top of the drain tube. A plurality of drain holes is defined in the bottom of the drain tube. A tapered projection is formed at substantially a middle of the drain tube for abutting against the tank portion thereby closing the outlet.
A resisting ring is mounted on the top projection and forms a crinkle portion on a center thereof. The resisting ring has an outer rim fixedly retained between a lower portion of the hollow pipe and a lock cover of the top projection. A biasing ring is mounted on a top of the drain tube by screw and presses against an inner rim of the resisting ring.
The feed mechanism has a housing and a piston movable in the housing. The piston forms an upper block with relatively large width and a lower block with relatively small width, which fit with an inner surface of the housing, respectively. A cavity is defined among the upper block, the lower block and the housing. A second resilient element surrounds the lower block and is accommodated in the cavity. In normal state, the second resilient element has a top abutting against a bottom of the upper block, and a bottom abutting against the housing.
A fastening element is mounted on a top of the housing by screw and defines an air hole substantially in a center thereof. An air room is defined between the fastening element and the upper block and communicates with the air hole. An air tube connects with the air aperture and the air hole for guiding compressed air in the tank portion into the air room.
The tank portion forms a tapered rim at a center of a bottom thereof for bordering the outlet. The tapered projection of the drain tube forms a tapered surface abutting against the tapered rim thereby closing the outlet.
A cross portion is formed at a bottom of the drain tube for separating and adjusting water.
The housing further has an entering portion extending from a bottom thereof for transferring water into the tank portion. An outer tapered surface is formed on a bottom of the lower block for abutting against an inner tapered surface of the entering portion thereby controlling water flow.
The first and the second resilient elements are springs.